Buying choice: 2008 135000 km or 2010 175000 km ?

I much prefer the GenIII over the GenII. Fuel economy is better in the GenIII for the average driver.

 

The GenIII feels more solid to me. It doesn't feel quite as nimble once modded with larger wheels and lowering springs though. Acceleration in the GenII feels like something between Normal Mode and Power Mode in a GenIII. I like the Interior better on the GenIII but the lack of a touch screen on the 2010 kind of sucks. The GenIII has inherently more rattles, especially on the 2010 but the GenII develops rattle with age anyway.

 

Think I'd keep looking for now. I'd look for a nice Gen III. You will have it a long time so get what you want! No skimping get as close to what you want as possible. Thank you!

 

Having owned two 2005's and a 2010, I will attest that the quality seems to have dropped off on the 201. Dash panels fall off and won't stay mounted, rattles that weren't happening in the 205...just today I had the "oil pan cover" fall off - found it costs $300 to replace. My ex wife still has her 2005 Prius with almost 170,000 miles on it and it seems as solid as the day we bought it. I wish I could say the same for my 2010. I do love the mileage, and yes, the Gen III gives slightly better mileage. But if it were my money, I'd opt for the 2008.

 

I'd go with the newer car.

 

My opinion is the difference in mileage is negligable. The Gen 3 is more relaible. I'm assuming both have done factory required maintenance and the drivers did not beat on the car. Batteries have a well documented life span around 12-15 years depending on environment, use or abuse, and other factors. I will assume the Gen 3 has more potential years without a major repair.

Any car can be repaired at a cost, but the Gen 3 will be less out of pocket since it will go more years before big stuff starts failing. All cars parts will eventualy fail.

This again is my opinion and that and a buck fifty may buy you a coffee. You can have both cars factory maintenance report at the Toyota customer car web site if you have the VIN #. One of the posters may have that URL. If you call Toyota or call a service rep at the Toyota dealer they can assist. The service report can give you a look at how the car was treated or miss treated. That says alot.

Let us know what you decide.

 

Interesting poll
Sales Person Integrity Poll. Do you Trust your Toyota Salesperson? Why? | PriusChat

 

Both Gen 2 and Gen 3 are good cars. Which car makes sense for you depends on a few things in addition to age price mileage, condition and accident record:
- If you are tall with long legs only consider Gen 3s
- What trim level does it have? This has a big effect on initial cost and many of the add-ons are of real value
- Does it have Vehicle Stability Control? This is a big life (and car) saver. I would not buy a car without it. All Gen 3s have it. I believe that only some Gen 2s do.
- Is traction under slippery conditions important to you? The Gen 3 traction control is significantly better.
- The main battery is very long lived but its life is more dependent on age than miles. If you bought a 2004 gen 2 with less than 20,000 miles, you might be spending a few thousand to replace the battery in a few years. The battery in a 2010 with 200,000 miles may well last 6 years longer and by then the battery may also be cheaper.

 

Agree 100%

 

Whichever car you buy I would have the dealer do the Transaxle fluid drain and replace.
It should have been done at 30,000 miles and very 60,000 miles thereafter. The Transaxle is a major expense to replace but it can be avoided with regular fluid changes. The coolant is important as well. The gen 3 gets a major tune up at 120,000 miles also with new spark plugs.

This car can go well over 200,000 miles if you just do the maintenance on time and treat the car right. The price is right at $12,500.

 

A 2010 is still under warranty for battery and power train, What issues are there?

 

I posted about the quality issue between the 2005 and 2010. The 2010 had a great "wow" factor about the panel, although I miss the touch screen. But it's not been major things, just these niggling problems that I've noticed that I still don't notice in one of the 2005's (the other got totaled). Mine is a 2010 with 45,000 miles on it - there has been squeaks and rattles that I still don't hear in the 2005. Not obnoxiously loud, but something that wasn't happening in the older car. There is a panel on the passenger side that will not stay in place for any appreciable length of time - it just falls down. Just yesterday I heard a scraping sound under the car and looked - there was some plastic panel hanging down - had it put on a rack to check it out - it's a oil pan cover that broke loose. $300 to fix. Do a google search on that problem and you'll find a surprising number of hits. I drive this car exactly as I drove my 2005.

On a side note, one thing I am very disappointed in is the removal of the touch screen to override some system settings - backup beeper, headlight delay, etc. On the older models you could change these settings via the screen, on the Gen III, it's a trip to the Toyota dealer where it costs about a hundred bucks to plug in the computer to have them reset it. I still like my car...heck, as gas approaches $4 a gallon I love that I'm filling the tank for ab0ut $35...but some of these minor (yet pricey) problems seem rather "un Toyotalike" to me.